Members of the Preservation Resource Center (PRC) gathered at the Old Ursuline Convent / St. Mary’s Church on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 for the PRC’s 36th Annual Meeting and Mint Julep Reception.

Highlights of the program included keynote speaker Harry Shearer and special guest Mayor Mitch Landrieu. To see video excerpts from Mayor Landrieu’s address, click here.

The official order of business also included the election of officers and board members for the PRC’s fiscal year 2010-2011. Patricia Gay, executive director of the PRC, heralded the new President of the Board, Harold L. “Hal” Williamson, Jr.:

“The board has chosen a great friend of preservation in Hal Williamson. As a member of the PRC board, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Vieux Carre’ Property Owners and Associates, past board member and member of the Garden District Association, The Historic Natchez Foundation, The Nantucket Historical Society and The Georgia Historical Society, as well as an owner of several restored historic homes in New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi, he has proven his dedication to historic preservation and will help the Preservation Resource Center continue to be a driving force in saving the architectural heritage of New Orleans,” said Gay.

Williamson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, but calls New Orleans his adopted home after moving here thirty years ago. He is a graduate of The College of Architecture and Design at Auburn University. His career in fashion home furnishing merchandising and interior decorating has led him to his own business, Williamson Designs, Inc., a retail shop on Magazine Street specializing in French and Continental antiques.

Williamson will be serving with a host of other officers and board members for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The PRC is proud to announce its newest Board of Directors
:

OFFICERS
Harold L. “Hal” Williamson, Jr., President
Anne F. Redd, Vice President
David Darragh, Secretary
Randy Opotowsky, Treasurer

AT-LARGE MEMBERS
Janie Blackmon
Paul C. James
Frederic Theodore Le Clercq
Wayne Troyer

MEMBERS
Charles Booker
Naydja D. Bynum, D.N.S.
Stephanie Carroll
Bridget Carter
Mark M. Cassidy, M.D.
Rashida Ferdinand
Donna Fricker
Brian Gibbs
Julie Habetz
Stephanie Haynes
Odom B. Heebe, Jr.
S. Ault Hootsell III
Clyde H. Jacob III
Al Johnson
Gaynell Lawrence
Denise Walter McConduit
Rhesa O. McDonald
Rick C. Normand
Michelle Ogden
Suzanne Perlis
Mary-jo Webster
Hilda Young

The PRC also extends its gratitude to its retiring board members:

Lynn Alline
Hal Brown
Robert W. Brown
Steve Dumez
Leah Nunn Engelhardt
Lloyd N. “Sonny” Shields
Holly Sharp Snodgrass

MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Long / L2Media & Marketing (504.669.0576 / L2Media@cox.net)

The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC) was founded in 1974 as a non-profit organization to promote the preservation, restoration and revitalization of New Orleans’ historic architecture and neighborhoods. The organization has helped renovate more than 1,200 homes citywide by involving citizens in preservation projects and services that enhance living in New Orleans. PRC provides resources and education to convey the economic, cultural and aesthetic importance of historic preservation in New Orleans and throughout the world. For more information about the PRC’s hurricane recovery efforts, including the homeowner assistance program, call 504.581.7032 or visit www.prcno.org.

###